Water-filter.



N0. IEEHJZY.

(W0 Medal.)

Patented Feb. l2, I90l. G. F. HUDKINSUN.

WATER FILTER.

(Applicafion filed Dec. 5, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

Mu. WWW. Patented Feb. l2, l90l. G. IF. HUDKINSUN.

WATER FILTER.

(Application filed Dec. 5, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheat 2.

(W0 Model.)

m: Nonms pzTzns co. won-mus WASHINGTON. u c.

N0. fifi8,|27. Patented Feb. I2, l90l. G. F. HUDKINSON.

WATER FILTER.

(Application filed Dec. 5, 1900.; (No Model.) 4 8heets-Sheet 3.

Patented Feb. l2, I90l.

N 0 S N K D 0 H F GW No. EMJZF.

WATER FILTER.

(Application filed Dec. 5. 1 900. j

4 Shank- Sheet 4.

(Nu Model.)

UNllFhTD firarns rarest @rrrcnt il'EORGE F. HODKINSON, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

WATER- -FILTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,127, dated-February 12, 1901.

Anplication filed December 5, 1900. Serial No. 38,781. (No model.)

To (tZZ Ll/77,0171 it Ht/Ly concern.-

Be it known that 1, GEORGE F. HODKINSON, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,havein vented certain new and useful Improvements in VVater-Filters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

In the supply of water to cities and other communities for culinary andother purposes it is usually the custom to employ in connection with thesystem adopted a filter through which the water is passed on its wayfrom the source of supply to the point of consumption,and this isespecially the case where the water is more or less roily or carrieswith it other objectionable substances in mechanical suspension. Thesefilters are of various kinds, the most common of which, however, usuallyconsists of a suitable receptacle that is provided with a bottom andside walls of masonry or other appropriate material, with a bed of sandand gravel of gradually-increasing coarseness from top to bottom ortheir equivalents disposed therein. As thus constructed and arranged thewater to be filtered is delivered upon the top of the bed through pipesor other conductors and passing down through the bed is discharged atits bottom, whence it passes to the storage-reservoir or other pointwhere required. In thus passing down through this bed the water partswith the substances carried by it in suspension in consequence of theirinability to pass through the interstices between the grains of the sandand gravel, and the water freed from them and filtered passes on to itsdestination, leaving them behind therein. As thus cimrged by theconstant flow of the water through it the bed in time becomes choked andcontaminated by these substances, which in some cases, as whereexcessive or tenacious, form a film or crust upon its upper surface thatis wholly or partially impervious to the water, and the cleansing andwashing of the bed at frequentintervals become necessary. To accomplishthis, the pipes or other conductors through which the water is deliveredto and conducted from the filter during the filtering operation areclosed, the film or crust upon the upper surface of the filter-bed whenformed broken into small pieces by hand or otherwise, and a current ofwater then passed in a reverse direction up through the bed bydelivering it at the bottom thereof through appropriate pipes orconductors and conducting it from its top after it has traversed themass to a sewer or other waste-weir through similar means. As a resultof this operation the objectionable substances taken up by the bedduring the filtering operation, along with the broken film or crustformed upon its upper surface, are thoroughly removed and carried awayto the place of discharge by the reversely-moving current and such bedthereby cleansed and renovated, after which the pipes or conductorsthrough which the rever'sely-moving current is delivered to andconducted from the filter are closed, the other opened, and thefiltering operation resumed, and so on. While thus the washing andcleansing of the filter-bed are effected by the current of Water that ispassed upward through the same, it is customary in some cases to employin connection therewith various means by which the raking over andagitation of the sand and gravel are accomplished during the time thatthat operation is being conducted, to the end that the objectionablesubstances taken up by the bed may be more efficiently liberated by thewater and carried away with it.

\Vhen the amount of water to be filtered is large, as when supplied to acity orotherlarge community, it is found more or less undesirable toemploy a single large filter, because of the inconvenience experiencedin thoroughly Washing its entire surface and because of the fact thatduring such operation the entire supply of water to the cityor otherpoint of consumption is of necessity wholly sus pended. To remedy this,therefore, anumber of smaller filters are usually employed, which areseverally provided with appropriate pipes or other conductors forconducting the water to and from them, whereby they are renderedindividually capable of being brought into action to conduct thefiltering operation or of being carried out of action and washed orcleansed without in any way interfering with the operation of any of theothers. \Vith each of the filters of this series aseparate and distinctraking or agitating apparatus is employed, which operated from anyappropriate source of power is made to traverse back and forth over thesame, and thereby rake or agitate its bed when required. Thisarrangement, however, while efficient to a certain degree in operation,is found more or less objectionable in practice, principally because ofthe fact that as many agitating apparatus are required as there arefilters employed, and as these either require a separate and distinctmotor for each or a complicated system of shafting the cost ofinstallation of a plant embodying them is greatly enhanced. To obviatethis objection, therefore, and provide means whereby a single raking oragitating apparatus may be employed in connection with a number offilters, as well as to otherwise improve the construction of thefilterand the raking or agitating apparatus themselves, are the objectsof my invention.

To these ends the invention consists in certain peculiarities ofconstruction and combinations of parts whereby the objects thus setforth are attained, the nature and distinguishing characteristics ofwhich are hereinafter more fully explained.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,-

of the pipes and valves for each of the constituent filters thereof;Fig. 2, a longitudinal verticalsection of a portion of two filters witha raking or agitating apparatus constructed in accordance withmyinvention applied in connection therewith; Fig. 3, a transversevertical sectional elevation thereof, taken in the plane a; a: of Fig. 2and looking in the direction of the arrow in that figure; Fig. 4, a planview of the filters and raking or agitating apparatus with thefilter-beds omitted from the former; Fig. 5, a detail of one of thepassageways and gates and a portion of the walls of one of the filtersin which they are arranged; Fig. 6, a side elevation of one of thestrainers that is arranged in the bottom of the filparatus is adjusted.

Inall the figures like letters of reference are employed to designatecorresponding parts.

A indicates the side walls, and B the bottom,of a series ofwater-filters C, which are or may be constructed of brick, stone, orother appropriate material and of any approved form. I prefer, however,to construct them in rectangular form and to arrange them in a row or,when numerous, in a number of rows that are disposed in parallelrelationship to each other or one another, as the case may be. Withineach of the filters O is formed a filter-bed E, which is or may becomposed of sand and gravel or other appropriate' granular materialsthat are arranged therein in the order of their fineness, with thelargest or coarsest of their grains at the bottom and the progressivelysmaller or finer grains above in regular order to the top, where thefinest grains are disposed. As thus constructed the water to be filteredis delivered upon the top of this filter-bed and after having traversedthe same is discharged from the bottom thereof. To permit of this beingaccomplished, I provide each of the filters near its top with a pipe F,which is connected with the source of the water-supply, and also nearits bottom with a second pipe G,-that is connected with the pipe or mainleading to the point of consumption. Instead, however, of delivering thewater directly from the pipes F upon the top of the filter-bed Ipreferably make use of a gutter H, into which it is discharged and fromwhich it is delivered upon the top of the filter-bed. This gutter isconveniently formed in the upper edge of the filter-walls and preferablyextends around three sides of the filter, with the inner wall risingsome distance above the top of the filter-bed, whereby the wateraccumulating therein from the pipe F is delivered upon the upper surfaceof the filter-bed,along the front and back thereof, and thedisarrangement of the upper surface thereof, due to the erosion incidentto its .rapid discharge at one point, thereby obviated. The pipe G,either as a whole or in divisions, on the other hand, extends inwardacross the bottom of each of the filter-beds and is provided at suitablepoints along the same with laterally extending branches g, which, withthe main pipe, are provided at the proper distances apart along theirupper surfaces with strainers g. The various filters 0 being thusconstructed and equipped severally serve by themselves, independently ofthe others, to receive the water from the source of supply and afterfiltering it deliver it to the point of consumption, which operationswhen initiated may be contin ued untilsomeorall of their respective bedshave become so contaminated and clogged by the impurities separated outfrom the water and taken up by them in the filtering operation that thepassage of the water through such beds is so retarded that the washingand cleansing of the latter become necessary. In order, therefore, toaccomplish this, each of the filters O is provided near its bottom witha pipe I, which is connected with the pipes I and K are respectivelyprovided, then opened, when the water will enter at the bottom of thebed and passing up through the same cleanse and wash out all theimpurities taken up by it, carrying them over into the gutter II andthence to the sewer or other point of discharge through the pipe K.

In those cases where from the excessive quantity or tenacious characterof the impurities removed a film or crust has been formed upon the topof the filter-bed the breaking up and floating away of the same beforethe washing operation is commenced in some instances become necessary.To this end the inner walls of the gutter Hat the front and back of eachof the filters are provided with a number of passage-ways h, whichextend therethrough, with their bottom edges approximately in line withthe up per surface of the filter-bed, and are severally equipped withgates 7t, which, fitted to open and close the lower portions thereof,are constructed of a height somewhat less than that of thepz'tssage-ways in which they are respectively disposed. in their normalcondition, as when the filtering operation is in progress, the lowerportions of these passageways are closed by the gates 71, and the watersupplied by the pipe F to the gutter H in reaching the filtenbed flowsover the tops of such gates. On the other hand, when the film or crustto be carried away the lower portions of these passage-ways, after ithas been broken, are opened and the broken portions thereof fioated outthrough the same into the gutter H, whence they pass to the pipe K andthence are discharged therethrough or otherwise removed. The dispositionof this film orcrusthaving been effected, the washing of the filter-bedby passing at current of water in a reverse direction up through thesame may then be accomplished, prior to which, however, the lowerportions of the passage-ways 7t must be closed by the gates 71 in orderthat the water in thus passing up through the filter-bed on its way tothe gutter H may be caused to rise tosome considerable height above theupper surface of the bed and then flow over the tops of the gates, asshown by the course of the arrow in Fig. 5, whereby to obviate thedanger of carrying away portions of the sand or other compo nents ofsuch bed with it that would be present if its flow to the gutter werebeneath them. For operating these gates whereby to open and close thelower portions of the passage ways h as required various means maybe.adopted. I prefer, however, to employ the shafts L for the purpose, withone of which the front and back of each of the filters are respectivelyprovided, and to accomplish the opening and closing of the lowerportions of the passage-ways by raisingand lowering the gates therein.To this end the shafts are severally mounted in suitable hangers Z, thatare secured to the walls or other convenient parts of their respectivefilters, with each of said shafts provided with laterally-extending armsZ, that are connected at their free ends with their respective gatesthrough appropriate connecting-rods Z as shown. By this arrangement, aswill be seen, the operation of all of the gates on either the front orback of any one of the filters may be effected in unison by simplyoscillating their respective shafts L in the appropriate direction,which maybe accomplished by a lever Z with which each of these shaftsmay be provided.

With a view to the breaking up of the film or crust when one is formedand the loosening up and agitation of the components of the filter-bedduring the washing operation I make use of a rake M, which is preferablysupported and carried by a carriage N, that is capable of a travelingmovement back and forth over the row or series of filters, whereby topermit of the use of a single rake and carriage therewith. To this end Iprovide the carriage with appropriate wheels O,which are adapted to runupon suitable rails P, that are supported upon the upper edge of thewalls and extend from one end of the row of filters to the other, withone of these rails disposed near one side of the series and the otherrail near the opposite side thereof. As thus supported the carriage,withits rake, extends over the filters from near one of their walls to neartheir opposite walls and may be moved over any one of the series andthere operated by any appropriate power. In my improved form ofconstruction, however, I avail of an electric current for the purpose,which is or may be supplied, through a suitable conductor R andtrolley-arm S, from any convenient source of electric supply to a motor'1, that is mounted upon the carriage N and connected to one of thepairs of wheels 0 thereof by any appropriate means. The means wherebythis connection is made selected by me for the purpose of illustration,however, consists of the bevel-gears a, a, and (t the spur-gears I), Z),19 and b the sprocket-wheels c and c, and the sprocketchain 6.. Of thesethe bevel-gear (tis secured to the shaft 2% of the armature t and mesheswith one or the other of the bevel-gears a and a which with thespur-gear b are fix.- edly secured to the shaft 6, that is mounted insuitable hangers f, secured to the carriage N. The spur-gears I), b andIf, on the other hand, are respectively secured to the shafts e and 6that are in like manner supported from the carriage N by the respectivehangers f and f while the sprocket\vlieels c and c are respectivelysecured upon the shafts e and c and are connected by the endlesssprocket-chain (I. As thus connected and arranged the movement of thecarriage, with its attached rake, back and forth over the filters C maybe effected by bringing one and then the other of the gears ct and ainto engagement with the gear a in the required order, which maybeaccomplished bysliding their carrying-shaft e longitudinally in its LIIsupporting-hangers f through the instrumentality ofa lever V orotherwise. The connection of this lever with the shaft 6 when employedmay be effected in various ways. As shown in the drawings, however, itconsists of a sleeve '1), which, surrounding a portion of the shaft andmounted in the hangers f, is provided with an outwardly-projecting pin'0, which engages with a spiral slot '0 formed in one of such hangers,as shown more fully in Fig. 7. With the lever connected with the shaftas thus described the longitudinal movement of the latter may beeffected by simply oscillatingthe sleeve 2; in the required direction bythe lever or otherwise, when, through its pin-and-slot connection withthe hanger f, a longitudinal movement will be imparted thereto, which inturn will be communicated to the shafte through the intervention of oneor the other of the collars 12 with which it is provided. While themovements of the carriage N back and forth over the series of filters Oare thus controlled, its positive movement along the tracks P areinsured by the gears '0 which are secured to the shaft e at the properdistance apart and engage with the racks 19, that are preferablysupported upon the top of the walls beside the tracks and extendthroughout the length of the series of filters over which the carriagetravels. When the breaking up of the film or crust on the filter-bed isrequired, the rake M will be so adjusted that its teeth will trail uponthe surface of the filter-bed and not penetrate the same but to a slightextent, and it will then occupy the position shown at Z in Fig. 2. Onthe other hand, when the washing of the filter-bed is being eifected andthe components thereof are being harrowed or agitated itwill occupy theposition shown at Z** in that figure, while in passing with the carriageN from one filter to another over the intervening walls it will occupythe position shown at Z*** therein. In order, therefore, to permit ofits assuming and being positively held in those various positions, therake instead of being fixedly secured to the carriage N is pivotallysupported by a shaft m and is adjustable with respect thereto by ahandwheel m through the intermediaries of a shaft m a worm 'm. thereon,and a worm-gear m on the shaft m, with which such worm engages.

With the parts constructed and arranged as above described and with thegates h closed and the valvesfand 9 opened the water from the source ofsupply will flow through the pipe F into the gutter H, thence over thetops of the gates h to the filter-bed, thence down through the same tothe strainers g, and be filtered thereby, and thence to the point ofconsumption through the pipe G. The operation thus indicated willcontinue until the filter-bed becomes clogged or otherwise contaminatedby the objectionable matter taken up therein, when the washing of thesame will become necessary. To efiect this, the

valves f and g will be closed, the valve is opened, and the rake Mbrought over the particular filter to be washed and agitated andadjusted into the position shown at 1* in Fig. 2, in which it will betrailed over the filterbed, breaking the film or crust thereon, whichwill then be floated out through the passageways h, beneath the gates h,that have previously been raised, and thence to the wasteweir or otherpoint of discharge. The removal of the film or crust having been thusaccomplished, the gates h are then closed, the rake M adjusted into theposition shown at Z** in that figure, the valve 7; opened, and the raketraversed back and forth over the filter-bed, raking and agitating it asthe water in passing up through it from the pipe I washes and cleansesthe same on its way over the gates and along the gutter H to thewasteweir or other point of discharge through the pipe K. The washingand treating of the filter-bed thus described having been completed, thevalves '5 and 76 will be closed, the rake M adjusted into the positionshown at Z*** in Fig. 2, and the valvesf and 9 opened, when thefiltering of the water will be again resumed and the rake M and carriageN moved to the next filter C, where required, and so on.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing that I not only produce anefficient and greatlyimproved filter, but provide means whereby a singlerake or agitator and its supportingcarriage may be employed inconnection with a series of such filters.

While in the foregoing I have described a traveling rake or agitatingdevice that is adapted to be used in connection with a series of filtersand be transferred from one of these filters to the other to be used inits bed, I make no claims, broadly, herein to a device of this characterwhen it is mounted to travel upon tracks or ways from one filter-bed tothe other and is provided with teeth or arms that are designed to dependinto the bed to agitate the same, with said parts so constructed as topermit of the teeth or arms being brought above the level of the wallsof the filters containing the beds, whereby said agitator may betransferred from one filter to the other or to a rake or agitator forfilter-beds when comprising a support, a longitudinal series ofpendulous stirrer teeth or arms connected thereto and constructed toswing rearwardly, with means for locking said teeth or arms rigidly withrespect to the support and from both forward and rearward movements, asthese form the subject of an application for Letters Patent filed by mein United States Patent Office May 1, 1900, Serial No. 16,247; but,

Having described my invention and specified certain of the ways in whichit is or may be carried into effect, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States 1. The combination, with the sidewalls of a water-filter, and the filter-bed thereof, of a gutterarranged along the edges of such filterbed, with its walls extendingabove the upper surfaces of the same and provided with passage-waystherethrough, a conductor for connecting this gutter with the source ofthe watensup ply, a conductor leading from such gutter to the place of'waste, and gates for closing and opening the lower portions of saidpassage-ways made of a height somewhat less than that of thepassage-ways, whereby the water in being filtered is delivered to thegutter and thence to the upper surfaces of the filter-bed over the topsof such gates, while the film or crust formed on the top of such bed,when broken, is removed beneath said gates, and thence passed to theplace of discharge through the gutter and discharging conductor,substantially as described.

The combination, with the side walls of a water-filter, afiltenbed, andagutter formed in the upper portion of such walls along the sides of thefilter-bed and provided with passage-ways through its inner walls, ofconductors for respectively connecting this gutter with the source ofthe water-supply, and with the place of waste, conductors extending intothe lower portion of the filter-bed and, in like manner, respectivelyconnected with the source of the water-supply and with the point ofconsumption, valves in these several conductors, and gates for the saidpassage-ways, whereby the water may be either passed into the gutter andthence upon the top of and down through the filter-bed, over the topsof' such gates, to the point of consumption, or beneath and up throughsuch bed to the sewer or waste-weir, over said gates and along thegutter and discharge-conductor as desired, by properly adjusting saidValves, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the walls of a water-filter, a gutter arrangedin connection therewith and provided with passage-ways through its innerwalls, and gates for closing and opening the lower portions of suchpassage-ways made of a height somewhat less than that. of thepassage-ways, of a shaft provided with a laterally-projecting arm foreach of those gates, rods for connecting the free ends of these armswith their respective gates, and means by which said shaft may be totated, whereby the opening and closing of such gates may be effected byrotating such shaft in one and the other direction by its operatingdevices, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the walls of a water-filter, a gutter arrangedin connection with them and provided with passageways through its innerwalls, gates for closing and opening the lower portions of suchpassageways made of a height somewhat less than that of thepassage-ways, means whereby these gates may be raised and lowered, and

tracks, one of which is arranged near one side of the filter and theother near the opposite side thereof, of a device for agitating andloosening up the material composing the filter-bed, a carriage by whichthis agitating device is supported and carried on said tracks, and amotor for propelling this carriage back and forth along the same,whereby the flow of the water to and from the filters may be controlledand the agitating device moved back and forth over the filter-bed toagitate and loosen up the material of the same, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with a series of waterfilters having side Walls thatextend from one end of the series to the other, gutters arranged inconnection with such filters and provided with passageways in theirinner walls, gates for closing and opening the lower portions of suchpassage-ways made of a height somewhat less than that of thepassage-ways, means for raising and lowering these gates, and tracksextending throughout the length of the series with one of these tracksarranged near one side of said series and the other near the oppositeside thereof, of a device for agitating and loosening up, the materialcomposing the filter-bed, a carriage by which this agitating device issupported and carried on said tracks, and a motor for propelling thiscarriage back and forth along the tracks,whereby the flow of the Waterto and from the several filters may be regulated and the agitatingdevice moved to any one of the filters of the series and there operatedto agitate the material of the filter-bed, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day ofNovember, 1900.

GEORGE F. HODKINSON.

\Vitnesses:

IRVING H. PETERSON, WILLIAM OLEARY.

